Our Ministry

The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Romans, wrote that the goal of Christ’s work and of his own missionary endeavors was “that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy” (Rom. 15:9). As God’s Word is preached and as the gospel of Jesus Christ is spread to the nations of the earth, God is uniquely bringing glory to Himself by redeeming men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation (Rev. 5:9). God transforms His redeemed ones that they might “show forth the praises of Him who called [them] out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Pet. 2:9). This is the goal of Missions—God’s own glory. God is seeking true worshippers who will worship Him in spirit and in truth (Jn. 4:23f).

It is with this conviction, that we, AJ and Ruth Gibson, have followed God’s call to Mexico. In looking back over our lives, it is clear to us that from our childhood He has providentially been directing us and preparing us for this task. He has given us a passion for the spread of His fame throughout the earth—especially the Spanish-speaking world. We are humbled and thrilled that God has counted us worthy, putting us into the ministry (1 Tim. 1:12).

We are serving in Oaxaca, Mexico with Reaching & Teaching International Ministries. God has called us to obey the Great Commission by providing training for indigenous church leadership. A vital part of the disciple-making process is training church leaders who are mature and are themselves able to continue that process (2 Timothy 2:2). The needs in southern Mexico are great. Here are some important considerations:

In the context of southern Mexico, the most effective way to see churches planted among the unreached indigenous community is generally to train indigenous nationals to do that work.

The mountains of Oaxaca are home to hundreds of indigenous churches that desperately need leadership training. Most of these churches were started by people who came to Christ while away from their village (to work, visit family, etc.) and then later returned and shared the gospel with their own people.

The doctrine and practices of indigenous churches are often unhealthy due to a lack of sound teaching. Many indigenous churches don’t grow or reach their communities simply because of a lack of knowledge and understanding of Scripture.

There is an enormous need for leadership training that is appropriate for the culture and needs of these indigenous leaders. In many cases these are oral cultures with no written language or Scripture in their language.